Flexible line holder or bobbin



May 23, 1933. F. F. ELLIOTT FLEXIBLE LINE HOLDER OR BOBBIN Filed April29, 1929 IN V EN TOR.

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Patented May 23, 1933 UNITED STATES FLORENCE F. ELLIOTT, OF KANSAS CITY,MISSOURI FLEXIBLE LINE HOLDER R BOEBIN Application filed April 29,

This invention relates to reels or bobbins for thread or rope-likematerial and is particularly adaptable for clothes lines and has for itsprimary object toproduce a unitary 5 device provided with certainsecuring or sustaining clips having openings making them practicallyuniversal in their ready application to most any point of support, andwhich, although strong and sturdy, is light in vweight. A device of thisnature is therefore particularly adaptable for use by travellers,campers and the like, and is especially suited for those living inapartment houses where injury to woodwork is not countenanced, or

even by householders desiring to stretch a temporary clothes line forover night use or the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide a compact device havingthe general characteristics above outlined which provides a small,strong, durable and efficient clothes line bobbin or holder when theline is not in use, of such nature that the line is more or lessprotected by a part of the holder,

and which provides locking means preventing accidental withdrawal orunrolling of the line when the device is carried in a pocket, in asuitacase, or under other storage or periods of non-use.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the linemay be readily and securely locked to maintain tension against the forceor weight imposed thereon, such as by clothing supported by the line,and also against further unrolling or unwinding of the unused portion ofthe line.

A still further object of the invention is to produce a device of thecharacter outlined of extremely simple, strong, durable, eflicient andinexpensive construction with no working parts to get out of order; andin order that it may be fully understood, reference is to be had to theaccompanying drawing, in which:

5 Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device as it will appear whencarried by a chair back or similar support.

Figure 2 is a side View of the bobbin as it will appear when supportedby a bar, such 59 as a towel bar or chair round or the like.

1929. Serial No. 358,913.

Figure 3 is a side view of the device partially in section as it willappear when supported by a nail or other headed support.

Figure 4: is a perspective view showing the cooperation between the freeclip or hook and the bobbin in retaining the line against unrolling whenthe device is not in use and in protecting said line against soiling.

In the said drawing, where like reference characters identifycorresponding parts in '69 all of the figures, 1 indicates a clip whichis preferably made of spring metal and comprises a PELlIQOf legs capableof extendin; or opening to receive relatively wide objects, such aschair backs 2 and the like, one of said legs being preferably providedwith a keyhole opening 3 for locking engagement with a headed objectsuch as a nail 41 (see Figure 3) The other leg of the clip 1 permanentlyi carries a T-shaped bobbin comprising a stem 5 and a cross head 6, saidcross head preferably extending in alinement with the adja cent leg ofthe clip 1, said leg thus forming one side wall of the bobbin andproviding, a construction which gives free, uninterrupted access to thebobbin in winding or unwinding the line 7 It will be apparent that abobbin of the character above outlined forms a convenient receptacle orspool for a. clothes line or the like, the clip 1 providing meanswhereby the bobbin may be conveniently and quickly attached to a supportand that such a device is compact and light in weight for easy storageor transportation. In the construction illustrated, the stem 5 ishollow, and if desired a pencil or the like may be inserted in said stemto constitute a shaft for the rotation of the bobbin in the unwinding ofthe cord or line.

In the use of a bobbin and clip of the character above outlined, it hasbeen found desirable to'provide means to protect the line to some extentagainst soiling, when not in use, and alsoto provide a guard which willprevent entanglement of the line with other objects and hold said lineagainst accidental unwinding or unrolling. To provide such a guard Ihave secured to the free end of the line 7 a spring clip 8, the diameterof the line when rolled on the bobbin being such as to cause clip 8 tosnugly embrace the line and partially encircle the same, said clip beingreceived between the cross head 6 of the bobbin and the adjacent leg ofthe clip 1, as shown most clearly in Figure 4:. The clip 8, besideshaving the guard function above de scribed, is formed with a key-holeopening l) to provide engaging and interlocking means for the end of theheaded object such as a nail 10, and is furthermore adapted to hook overa chair back or over a bar or chair round 11 as described in connectionwith clip 1.

It has sometimes been founddifiicult to secure the desired tension onthe line without having means whereby the line may be locked againstunwinding beyond the point desired. It has therefore been founddesirable to provide the bobbin with a lock or clamp which in itssimplest form comprises a V-shaped notch or a plurality of such notches12 located at any convenient point on the bobbin, but being illustratedat the opposite ends of the cross head 6 thereof. When the clip 1engages an object such as a towel bar where there'is nothing to preventthe gravitative tendency of the bobbin and clip to swing their center ofgravity to a point vertically below the center of support, it has beenfound necessary with the type of locking device illustrated, to pass theline 7 through both the up per and lower notches 12 substantially as.illustrated in Figure 2, the line passing from the lowermost notch tothe hook or clip 8 as shown. If the line is passed through the top notchonly, the pull on said line usually effects rotation of the bobbinaround the rod or support and the line of pull becomes such that theline will slip from the notch 12, or the clip 1 will become disengagedfrom the towel bar or other support.

It will be apparent from the above description that the possible pointsof support for the bobbin are multitudinous and that a clothes line maythus be quickly and easily strung or removed without necessitatingauxiliary attaching devices such as screws, nails or the like. Also ifdesired the operating faces of the clips may be covered with aprotecting felt pad to avoid the possibility of marring the finish ofthe finest chairs or sim ilar supporting points.

From the above description, it will be apparent that I have produced aclothes line bobbin or reel possessing the features of advantage setforth as desirable in the statement of the objects of the invention,which may be made, of any suitable material possessing the requisitestrength for the purpose in view,

' such as wood, metal, rubber, papieranach or celluloid, and which issusceptible of modification in various particulars without departingfrom the principle of construction involved and the spirit and scope ofthe appended claims.

I claim 1. A device of the character described comprising a bobbin ofgenerally H-shape in side elevation, one of the sides of the bobbinbeing prolonged at one end and curved outwardly and downwardly to form,in conjunction with the side of which it is a prolongation, a gen erallyU-shaped supporting clip for said bobbin, the extremity of saidprolongation being formed with a key-hole opening.

2. A device of the character described comprising a bobbin of generallyH-shape in side elevation, one of the sides of the bobbin beingprolonged at one end and curved outwardly and downwardly to form, inconjunction with the side of which it is a prolongation a generallyU-shaped supporting clip for said bobbin, the free end terminatingsubstantially flush with the parallel sides of the bobbin, and aU-shaped clip fitted in and filling the space between the side walls ofsaid bobbin and being adapted to embrace a line wound on the bobbin.

3. A device of the character described comprising a tubular memberadapted to be rotatably mounted, a pair of parallel plates havingopenings in which the opposite ends of said tube are rigidly secured,said tubular member and end plates constituting a gener ally H-shapedbobbin, one of said end plates being prolonged at one end and curvedoutwardly and downwardly to form in conjunction with the side of whichit is a prolongation a generally U-shaped supporting clip for thebobbin.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FLORENCE F. ELLIOTT.

